Portland Tweed Ride Set To Take Place April 12th

Portland’s annual Tweed Ride is set to take place later this month. Bicyclists who attend this event are expected to wear their finest Victorian attire as they roam the streets of Portland. In other words, don’t forget your finest tweed, dapper duds, fancy hats and vintage bikes!

Participants will also need to bring their own picnic lunch as well.

To kick off this event a tea social will take place at 2 pm at Cathedral Park in North Portland. After the tea social, the ride will begin promptly at 3 pm.

Riders can expect a short mid-ride picnic stop in Columbia Park where they will have plenty of down time to get to know their fellow riders. After the picnic, riders will continue on to Old Portland Hardware for an after party filled with games, prizes, music and plenty of other surprises.

This event will take place on April 12th.

The 6th annual Tweed Ride will surely be an adventure for all those who attend.

Lock Smart

When locking your bike, stay away from the cheap options. Allard said 70 to 90 percent of bike thefts are from cable locks, which can be cut through with any $20 dollar cable cutter.

A U-lock is much harder for a thief to dismantle, unless they use power tools. Locking the U-Lock through the frame and tire also helps, making it hard for the thief to make off with your wheel or ride away.

Park Smart

Be conscious of where you lock your bike. Try in front of ATM or other busy places with security cameras. Also, avoid areas near electrical sockets so thieves can’t use power tools to cut bike racks or U-locks.

Although finding a safe spot to lock up may add a few minutes walk to your travel, it is well worth the price of your bike.

Try the Police

If your bike is stolen, make sure to report it to the police. Many victims assume it is not worth time or some even try to track down the bike on their own. Although many bike crimes go unsolved or prosecuted, some do have happy endings. Why not use all your resources?

And if your bike is registered, you have a better chance getting it back.

Make Friends With Your Local Bike Shop

Bicycle shops are a great resource, whether your bike is stolen or not. They have a touch on the pulse of the local bike world. If your bike is stolen, check in to see if they have seen it brought in for repairs, or ask if you can post a missing flyer.

They also can provide helpful tools and tips for keeping your bike safe from thieves, so it doesn't get stolen in the first place.

Download An App

Technology is helping fight bike crime, one app download at a time. Portland’s Project 528 has one app that makes it easy to register your bike, and another that uses a network of bikers to send out an alert system if your bike is stolen.

The Cricket sends an alarm to your Smartphone every time somebody touches your bike.

BikeSheppard also has an app to help register and report a stolen bike.

Google Alerts

A great number of stolen bikes are fenced via Craigslist and E-bay. So set up Google alerts that match the description of your bike. That way if anyone does try to sell your bike, you’ll know about it.

Expand Your Search

Just because your bike was stolen in Portland doesn’t mean it stays in Portland. A majority of bike thefts are part of large criminal operations. Allard said many times police will come across a number of stolen bikes while breaking up other crimes. Yet it could be hundreds of miles away from where your bike was stolen. So try police departments around the state.